Welcome To The Family
by CeceVolume
Summary: When Octavia brings Lincoln home to meet her family, he learns exactly how crazy things can get with the delinquents. modern!verse Christmas Dinner AU implied Bellarke inspired by tosailuponthesea on Tumblr
1. Introductions

CHAPTER ONE

_Introductions_

This was definitely _not _what he had in mind. Seriously, this was the _opposite_ of what he'd thought would be happening when Octavia had invited him to her family's Christmas dinner.

Well, _she_ called this her family; he was pretty sure it was just a bunch of nutcases that all came together to escape some asylum somewhere.

He'd heard them all shouting and laughing and just plain running around in the house as they'd approached. The long driveway was full of cars, ranging from a beater that looked like it was lucky to have made it all the way up the drive to a Range Rover that probably cost about as much as the down payment on the house he was walking up to. The lawn was immaculately kept, with herbs—not flowers, but straight up _medicinal herbs_—growing along the sidewalk and garage. The house was well-maintained, looking like it had only just been painted the stark white with vivid red shutters. Hell, even the front door was a bit intimidating; the same color red, its doorknob was a shiny, polished bronze that made him wary of even touching it.

But he had to do this because, much as it sometimes drove him crazy, Lincoln loved Octavia. He wanted her in his life—forever—and this was a part of the package. Her family was her world, even if there was only one person that was her actual blood.

Bellamy Blake, Marine-turned-full-time-professional-bodyguard, was her older brother, the man who had raised her practically since birth and definitely since the death of their mother. He'd been a part of an experiment program for delinquents between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, where—should they choose to go into the military instead of prison—they would be trained by the Marines and sent into battle with others like them.

Lincoln had even worked with the second group when he'd been in the SEALS, though he hadn't known the unpredictable group was some secret military test.

But that wasn't where it ended. No, this wasn't a Blake Family Christmas, where he would meet cousins or uncles or aunts or even a grandparent. Somehow—considering the stories he'd heard from Octavia, it was a very big _somehow_—Bellamy had made such close connections to those closest to him that he'd welcomed them into his fold and they'd become Octavia's cousins or uncles or aunts.

Except Clarke Blake neé Griffin, who had somehow fallen in love with the overprotective man.

She'd been the medic and, from the stories, the only person to keep Bellamy in check. She was a woman with morals, integrity, which was how she'd ended up there in the first place. When he'd been threatening to go over the deep end, Clarke had pulled him back, reminded him that he didn't have to be a monster.

And, really, it had been her to bring in everyone they now called family.

So now there was Jasper, Monty, Finn, Murphy, Wells, and Raven. The whole group. Which would explain the shouting he'd heard the moment he'd gotten out of the car.

"You almost _killed_ _me_, Raven! That piece of shit belongs in some junkyard for scrap metal!" one of the men yelled, his voice rough as if they'd been arguing for awhile. "Does it even _have_ fucking breaks?! Jesus!"

Raven responded in kind and Lincoln was pretty sure he heard something tip over—maybe a side table? It didn't sound very heavy, just enough for dramatic effect. "Talk shit _one more time_, Murphy, and I'm going to make sure _your_ breaks don't work the next time you are going _eighty around that fucking curve_!"

Blushing, Octavia murmured a quick apology under her breath as she took his hand, squeezing it like she thought he would run away. "I would tell you this isn't normal," she started, glancing up at him from beneath the thick fall of her dark hair, "but it is. Just…please remember that they really are awesome. When you get to know them. Seriously, they are."

He couldn't help but smile, even though when he opened his mouth to speak, there was another shout from inside.

"Both of you, _enough_! Every _goddamned_ day is the same argument and I'm _done_. One more fucking time I have to hear this, and you're both out. Do you understand me? _Gone_."

From the authority in his tone, Lincoln was sure it was Bellamy. _He's pretty much everyone's dad, the way he polices everything_, Octavia had once told him, and now he was sure of it.

There were snickers—probably Jasper and Monty, since he was pretty sure there'd been a whispered, "You done goofed," lost underneath Bellamy's barking—then a clearing throat. That was when everything went silent, so quiet you could have heard a pin drop on a plush carpet.

"Bellamy, enough." That was Clarke, definitely Clarke. "How are we supposed to greet Octavia's new boy—_friend_ if everyone's on edge? No one's getting kicked out. We're all just overly excited; she hasn't brought anyone home since Atom, afterall."

Lincoln had heard the story of Atom, another of those in their group, the only one who had stuck with it after their sentence other than Bellamy. Octavia had told him that the poor boy had been caught in the middle of a firefight, that he had been the first to die under Bellamy's command. The whole group had been hurt by the loss, but he was more to Octavia. _Her first love_.

But there was respect for Atom in Lincoln. He might have been the first, the one to teach her what loss felt like, but Lincoln was going to be the _last_.

Before Lincoln could even try to comfort Octavia—she had obviously heard the mention of Atom, a wound that might never heal completely—the door in front of them was thrown open, two smirking boys—Jesus, were they even old enough _now_ to be in the military?—standing in front of them.

"Oh, well, lookie here," the taller of the two, goggles perched on his forehead. Why the hell were they covered in soot? What did the boy even _do _for a living that had to do with ash? "The prodigal daughter _returns_, three hours late. I'm totally telling Dad that you two were macking out here, by the way," he added with a mischievous wink before he turned to Lincoln. Holding out his hand, he grinned widely, more friendly than he would have suspected. "I'm Jasper. You've gotta be the medical researcher we've heard so much about."

Taking the talkative one's hand in a firm shake seemed to bring the other—Asian with very intelligent eyes and an almost scary calm—to words.

"And I'm Monty. I'll back you guys up; no reason to give Bellamy a coronary before we've even gotten to eat some of the ham," he said easily, also sticking out his hand for a shake. "Besides, Clarke's only drinking non-alcoholic wine, so I don't think it's in our best interest to get anyone riled up. At least the alcohol would slow their reactions and give you time to run."

Blinking back his surprise, Lincoln sent Octavia a questioning glance, but she only rolled her eyes as if to say, "They're morons and you should ignore them."

Suddenly, they were ushered into the house, everyone talking over each other like they wanted to be the first ones to make the same stupid joke—there was even a brief _disagreement_ over who said, "So _this _is the guy who won't be calling you back tomorrow?" between Finn and Wells—except for Bellamy and Clarke, who stood at the back of the group. The former was glaring with his arms crossed while the latter put a hand on his forearm and squeezed, like she was holding him back—or keeping him anchored.

There were a ton of fingers that he wrapped his around, shaking, trying to say anything over the constant thrum of conversation. Then Octavia was gone from his side, whisked away by her brother and he was left with the two that had answered the door.

It was going to be a long night.

-.-.-.-.-

"We're the only ones on your side, bro," Jasper murmured as he tugged Lincoln into the living room, nodding discretely to Monty, who closed the sliding doors behind them. Everyone was going to be too wrapped up in welcoming Octavia home, which meant they'd have time to warn the new guy what would happen throughout the night.

It was their job, afterall, to lull him into a false sense of security.

Lincoln opened his mouth to respond, but Monty cut him off. "Octavia means a lot to everyone here. All of us love her and all of us are more than capable of _ruining _your life."

If it wasn't true, Jasper wouldn't have been chuckling, putting his hand on the taller man's shoulder—good _Lord_, did the guy work out!—and pulling him to look at him. "Yeah, you see, the Marine's didn't teach everyone here all they knew. I mean, it's not like we were in there for stealing gum and skipping class."

Looking between the two of them, Lincoln spoke the first words he'd been allowed to say since he'd arrived. "You should know that I'm not afraid—"

"We know," Monty answered. A smile came to his lips as he recited facts like he'd rehearsed the scene in its entirety. "You were a SEAL—kudos, by the way, on all those medals—who took to it like you were born into it. Maybe it was the commune your parents raised you in?" The expression of shock on Lincoln's face only spurred Monty on more. "I _know_ you've gotten that taken off your record—emancipated at fifteen is a pretty big deal—but I'm not just a hacker; I'm _the_ hacker."

"Dude broke through the FBI's, CIA's, _and_ the Pentagon's systems when we were seventeen," Jasper cut in. "We wanted information, we took it. Got sent off to become 'real men' soon after. I still managed to get the guy who gave me _this_"—he raised his shirt to show the scar he had that stretched from just below his belly button to his sternum—"before we were shipped off."

The tattooed man's eyes narrowed as he glanced between the two of them, the room filled with tension. _It'll be worse if he acts like this with the others,_ Jasper reminded himself as a little bit of guilt rose unbidden within him. Finally, Lincoln spoke, sounding like he was reluctant to pick either of the two evils. "Fine," he growled, "I get it. So what do you have to tell me?"

Jasper and Monty grinned at one another. Oh, this was going to be fun.

"We're going to tell you everything on everyone out there. If you really want to make Octavia happy, then you're going to want to know this. _All of it,_" Monty said, motioning for Lincoln to sit.

After nearly an hour—were they really surprised no one had come to find them?—the man looked ready to keel over from the information, shaking his head as he rested his elbows on his knees, his forehead pressed against his palms.

Jasper just chuckled, clapping a hand on the bigger man's back.

"Welcome to the family."


	2. Finn

CHAPTER TWO

_Finn_

"Okay, so the chill looking guy with the long hair looks pretty friendly, right?" Jasper asked, motioning with his hands to mimic the guy he was talking about's features. When Lincoln nodded, the goggled boy laughed. "_Wrong_. Now, he isn't going to be the first to come after you, but he isn't someone to take lightly. When you fuck with the family, he's going to use that badge to come _after you_. Even if it means planting evidence."

Monty cut in then. "Hey, hey, hey. That was _never_ proven. Besides, the guy _mugged_ Clarke when she was still getting over that broken leg, remember? _Totally_ deserved it."

-.-.-.-.-

Again, this was _not_ the way Lincoln thought the night would go. No, he had just imagined a room full of pretty-much adolescents who thought of each other as family.

And he definitely hadn't expected the guy with the easy smile and almost stupid background story to end up being a cop who would willfully get a man convicted for a crime he didn't commit—no matter what crime he _had_ committed.

Finn had been sent to the Marines because he'd—repeatedly—broken into schools, rec centers, etcetera to run around and put pranks in place. Though he said it was just because he was having fun, most psychologists claimed it was the only way he knew to take his mind off the fact that both his parents—whom had left him with his senile grandmother to spend their lives childless in the lap of luxury—were in prison for embezzlement and fraud. When the judge had suggested regular visits with a child psychologist, the eighteen-year-old had jumped at the chance to go into the military.

He had been denied a chance to become an MP and had joined Bellamy's company quickly thereafter.

Though Finn and Bellamy had often butted heads on what was the morally right way to go about things, Clarke had brought them together—a very _uncomfortable _story Octavia had only told him because he'd pressed for the information.

Now, however, the man was seated directly across from Octavia, smiling as he told a cop joke that was probably funnier to those he _wasn't_ sending sneaky glares.

"So, Lincoln," he suddenly said, grin widening though it became anything but sincere. "Octavia says that you're a medical researcher. What are you currently looking into?"

Was that an olive branch or a loaded gun?

Clearing his throat as everyone turned their full attention on him, Lincoln shifted to sit a little taller. This was something he could talk about with every bit of his confidence; he was an _awesome_ researcher. "Actually, I've been doing some trial runs with natural methods of treating patients. We're looking into this strange new seaweed that seems to have antibiotic properties—"

"_Seems_ being the operative word," Clarke interrupted, raising her fork to her lips. "From what I've read on the subject, there is no conclusive evidence, since it's only been used to treat fevers and minor infections. It could simply be boosting the immune system because it has necessary vitamins and minerals."

Stunned at her knowledge of the fact, Lincoln turned his gaze on her. "Even that is important. If we allow it to mutate for a few more years, we could have an antibiotic that is abundant around the world and is fairly inexpensive—"

Her eyes narrowed as she swallowed before speaking again. Putting down her fork, she folded her hands together, elbows holding them high above her plate. "Or it could mutate into something poisonous. And if we force certain traits through the generations, it will take far too long and cost too much money to throw funding in to."

Tensing, Lincoln couldn't hold back his annoyance from leaking into his tone. "That's what they said about a lot of the herbal remedies we've been using for years. Just because it doesn't come out of a lab doesn't mean it isn't a worthwhile venture. Besides, we've made great strides with it since we found out about its uses."

From the other side of the table, Lincoln heard Bellamy's fists hit the table, his chair scraping against the floor like he was going to stand up, but it was Finn who spoke in the abrupt strained silence.

"Clarke is on her way to the head of her wing at the hospital, Lincoln," he responded calmly, though there was something flashing in his eyes when they met the new man's. "Believe me, if she thought it could ever be a viable choice, she would be throwing every penny of her inheritance towards it. Maybe she's wrong, but until new facts come around, she isn't going to change her stance on this." There was that not-quite-genuine smile again, a chuckle on his tongue. "But if you're right, then you get to throw it back in her face. It really is fun to do."

Raven belted out a laugh from her spot at the table. "That's true. She gets all flustered and then Dad over here"—her thumb jerked to her left, where Bellamy sat—"gets annoyed because he's the only one allowed to get her flustered."

A grunt from Bellamy, but Lincoln could feel his gaze digging into him.

"Yeah, then Finn will try to diffuse the situation by jumping off the roof," Jasper commented from his seat across from Raven. "Sometimes he even breaks a bone. Then everyone gets a good laugh and we move on."

Turning to his comrade, Lincoln gave a small, not-so-happy smile—more a tight-lipped gesture than anything—and didn't say anything. Instead, he just continued eating, glancing over at Finn whenever he felt his eyes on him.

There was something in them that he couldn't quite place, something he wasn't sure he wanted to think about.

-.-.-.-.-

The rest of dinner, Lincoln kept quiet unless someone asked him a direct question. He noted that Monty and Jasper were a couple sheets to the wind by the time all the food was put away (the next time the goggled freak put his arm around his shoulders like they were friends was going to be the last time he had arms) and Raven had started a lively argument with Murphy, leading to Wells jumping in. Clarke and Bellamy had been the ones to—silently—clear the table, quietly chatting as they did the dishes in the kitchen afterward. Wells and Finn seemed content to play the hosts to Lincoln and Octavia, though it was still a little tense.

Finally, it was apparently time for cards. Once "Mom and Dad" reclaimed their thrones, someone brought out two identical decks and the drinking game began.

_I am not sleeping here tonight,_ Lincoln thought to himself, hoping Octavia could read his mind even though she wasn't even looking in his direction. _Your entire family is crazy._

"Excuse me," he said suddenly, coming to his feet with his hands on the table. When all eyes turned to him, he asked politely, "Can someone tell me where the bathroom is?" _Just a couple minutes of peace; all I need is a couple minutes before I stick around for the rest of this._

Finn stood, smiling up at him. "Of course. I'll lead you; I need to take a leak too."

Raven and Murphy snorted while Jasper and Monty giggled something like "no homo, all bromo" under their breaths. Seriously, could these guys be any more moronic?

"Thanks," Lincoln muttered, following Finn out of the room.

He hated being caught off guard and this whole dynamic was putting him on edge. Octavia had warned him that they weren't exactly the nicest people, but he hadn't expected everyone to be making fun of him and pouncing on everything he said. Seriously, what was so wrong with debating a very debatable topic—

Before Lincoln could finish that thought, Finn had strong-armed him into the bathroom, closing the door and flipping the lock.

"Shut up," Finn said when Lincoln started to growl at him. "I'm trying to help you out here and all you're doing is managing to piss off Bellamy. Believe _me_, he will make your life a living hell if you rub him the wrong way." The smaller man's hand suddenly fisted in the ex-SEAL's shirt, yanking him closer to mutter, "We're all really close; I'm sure if Octavia didn't tell you that, the Dynamic Duo did. So here's the deal: keep your head low, but not too low. If you're polite to us and make Octavia happy, we won't come after you. Then you can have all the babies you two want.

"Now, I seriously do have to piss, so get out and partake in the game before someone thinks something's up. Consider it a peace offering," he added, letting go of Lincoln and practically shoving him out of the bathroom.

-.-.-.-.-

"He really is a peacemaker, though," Monty said thoughtfully, touching his finger to his chin, like he was thinking. "I mean, he'll extend the olive branch before he decides whether to hate you or not."

_Okay, next up is Wells. I'm working really hard and I can't believe how long it took me to get this chapter out. T.T I'm trying to get these harder chapters out first._


End file.
